| Delgamuwa Raja Maha Vihara | |
|---|---|
දෙල්ගමුව රජ මහා විහාරය | |
 TheKurahan grinding stone, which was used to hide thetooth relic of Buddha | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| District | Ratnapura |
| Province | Sabaragamuwa Province |
| Location | |
| Location | Delgamuwa,Kuruwita,Sri Lanka |
 | |
| Geographic coordinates | 06°46′33.1″N80°21′22.8″E / 6.775861°N 80.356333°E /6.775861; 80.356333 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Buddhist temple |
Delgamuwa Raja Maha Vihara (Sinhala:දෙල්ගමුව රජ මහා විහාරය) is an ancientBuddhist temple situated inKuruvita ofRatnapura District,Sri Lanka.[2] This temple is reputed as the hiding place of thetooth relic of Buddha during the ruling period ofPortuguese in the country.
Currently this temple has been declared as one of thearchaeological sites in Sri Lanka.[1]
The written history of Delgamuwa Vihara goes back to the time period ofSitawaka kingdom. During the past this temple was known asSaparagamu Vihara andLabujagama Viharaya as well.[3]
With the arrival of the Portuguese in 1505 and the death of theKing Bhuwanakabahu VII ofKotte Kingdom, a political turmoil was caused in the country. This was intensified with the conversion to Catholicism byKing Don Juan Dharmapala. This incidence led the thenDiyawadana Nilame Hiripitiye Divana Rala, who was the custodian of the tooth relic, to move the relic from Kotte Kingdom toKing Mayadunne of Sitawaka (nowAvissawella) for safe keeping in 1549.[4] With the guidance of king Mayadunne the tooth relic was brought to Delgamuwa Vihara for further safekeeping, and kept it in a Kurahan (Eleusine coracana) grinding stone at the Vihara premises.[5]
In 1592 Konappu Bandara, who conquered the throne of Kandy again, changed his name asWimaladharmasuriya I and reclaimed the tooth relic from Delgamuwa vihara inRatnapura toKandy.[6] He managed to build a separate two-storied palace to enshrine the tooth relic within the palace complex.[7]
A few years after the removal of tooth relic, the temple was robbed and demolished by the Portuguese who constructed a fort there later.[2][4]